US Finance World

Your credit score is important for everything in life.  From getting a great mortgage rate, to getting a perfect car loan.  If you don’t have a credit score, or your score is pretty lousy, there are many things that you can do in order to raise your credit score in no time.  Don’t let anyone fool you when it comes down to saying that you don’t need a credit score, because that’s ridiculous!

Here are some tips that you can follow in order to raise your credit score by 100 points within months ahead –

Clean up your report: Many people out there don’t check out their credit reports on a yearly basis.  If you don’t, you may find out that you’re going to see inaccuracies.  If you find that your report has something like that, you’re going to notice that it’s going to hurt your score.  Make sure that you always get these errors fixed by contacting the three major credit bureaus.

Lay back on the accounts: In the next 6 months to a year, I want you to make a deal that you won’t open up any accounts.  The more financing accounts you open, the more credit you’re going to open yourself to.  If you have too much credit available, this is going to hurt you.  Plus, even if you don’t get approved for a loan, you’ll find that every time they make an inquiry, it’s going to hurt your score as well.

Simply pay your bills: If you have a lot of debt, and you’re behind on your payments, start paying those off as soon as you can.  If you need another job, get it.  The more you can bring your debt down, the better this is going to look on your credit report.

Pay the minimums at least: Your goal from here on out is to make sure that you at least pay the minimums.  Just by doing this, you’ll be able to not be late on your payments.  Every time that you’re late with your payments, this is going to put a ding on your credit report, so make sure that you’re always on time, even if you have to pay the minimums.

Raising your credit score is easy.  Just make sure that you know that this won’t happen overnight.  It’s going to take at least 6 months to a year, as long as you follow the tips above.  If you can do this alone, you can be rest assured that your credit score is going to rise.

This week, I’m happy to present these articles from some of my favorite financial sites.

Personal Finance Reads

• The Wallet: The WSJ blog reports that starting salaries are slightly lower for graduating college students this year, compared to last year. And though it’s normal to see this type of dip during a recession, it’s a bit concerning for graduating seniors to start off this way, since research shows that entering the job market during a downturn hampers one’s career growth.
• Taking Charge: Ugh! Sounds like several spammers have found their way to Craigslist! I am familiar with the credit score companies that are being hawked by online spammers, but disappointed to read about how aggressive the marketing has been for these companies.
• Credit Shout: Divorce is one of those events that will seriously affect your finances. Randal

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Question: I have 2 credit card accounts that were opened in 1999 and 2000. Isn’t it supposed to drop off my credit report? New report date is 3/09. Does this new date matter when it’s dropped off my credit?

Answer: The rules dictating when listings must be removed from your credit report apply only to derogatory items; positive credit items, such as credit card debts which you have kept current, canremain on your credit reports indefinitely. For derogatory items, the date on which an account falls off of your credit report is calculated as seven years from the date the debt was charged-off by the lender; the date on which you opened the account is irrelevant. For example, if you opened an account in 1985, and stopped making payments in 2003, then the account should fall off your credit report sometime in 2010.

The new “reported date” should

not affect the date on which the account will be removed from your credit report.

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Remember the cheapest family in the nation? Well this family has got them BEAT!

Can you live a totally “FREE” life? Apparently you can. And this story can attest to that. This is cheap living at its finest. Let me introduce to you one of the cheapest families in the world (they’re the cheapest, by choice). I’d like to tell you the story of a special family who lives in the Pacific who decided to throw away all the trappings of modern civilization in order to isolate themselves in the remote boondocks of New Zealand.

Homesteading In The Wilderness

I guess you can call them true “back to nature” frugalists. In fact, they’re a step beyond that — they are homesteaders (survivalists?) and hermits who live in one of the most beautiful and natural settings we have on this earth. This Kiwi family is comprised of a father (from New Zealand) named Robert Long, and a mother, originally from Australia, named Catherine. Their kids are

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